Currently available mirror and television devices typically include a television mounted to the back of a mirror. This arrangement is a convenient space saving device as it embeds a television in the existing space occupied by a mirror. The mirror assembly normally includes a mirror reversibly affixed to a chassis, wherein the chassis is suitably designed to be mounted to a wall. Although available, these devices typically suffer from either poor transmissivity or reflectivity.
The transmissivity and reflectivity of a mirror are roughly inversely related. That is, a mirror with high transmissivity generally has low reflectivity, and a mirror with high reflectivity generally has low transmissivity. As a result, a mirror with high transmissivity will allow more light from a television located behind the mirror to pass through the mirror, resulting in better viewing of the image displayed on the television. However, such a mirror will also have a relatively low reflectivity, resulting in a lower quality reflection in the mirror.
In addition to the presenting the difficulty of balancing television image quality with the reflection quality, current mirror/television combinations do not provide additional sources of illumination, such as back lighting. This results in the need for separate light fixtures in addition to the mirror/television combination, which can cause additional installation costs and unsightly clutter.
The television and light sources, as well as their corresponding electrical components (such as one or more ballasts, terminal blocks, power covers, and associated wiring) are enclosed within the mirror assembly. Power is typically supplied to the electrical components by passing a power cable through an opening in the chassis. The power cable may be either hard wired to the building wiring, or the power cable may instead include a plug that is receivable within a pre-existing electrical outlet.
To connect the components to the electrical wiring of a building, and particularly a commercial building, it is normally required that an electrician install the mirror so that it is done according to the National Electrical Code. This can significantly add to the cost of installing the mirror, especially when a large number of mirrors are being installed in a building, such as in a hotel.
Pre-installing a power cord on the mirror that plugs directly into an electrical outlet is certainly less expensive than hard-wiring the components to the building wiring; however, the outlet must normally be recessed such that the power plug does not interfere with the mirror when the mirror is mounted to the wall.
Thus, it is desired to have a mirror assembly having electrical components that can be placed into electrical communication with an existing electrical outlet without interfering with the mirror assembly.